How might we see the impact of our hospitality with “fresh eyes?”

General Assembly 2019 Event 266 Program Description Whether we consider faith formation, growth, social justice and/or dismantling white supremacy, Unitarian Universalists could use an identity update. This presentation embraces who we are and challenges who we think we are. Seeing ourselves as a...

Congregational growth is about many things—not just numbers.

Making the decision to add an additional worship service, or even considering such a thing, is a major undertaking in congregational life. As institutions (and even as members of institutions), we don’t always embrace even the smallest changes easily, and alterations in our worship...

Adding services can provide a wonderful, invigorating climate for growth of all sorts, both individual and institutional. But large-scale change without adequate planning not only may doom the change but also may create additional problems. Therefore, ...

Some useful points to consider and remember as the congregation faces the addition of a service and the consequent growth.

Adding a worship service inevitably means more work for the congregation’s staff, both professional and support. The leaders of worship and religious education must not only repeat the service, create a separate special focus, and oversee another religious education program but also do more...

One of the key challenges in adding an additional service is providing religious education for children. What is needed, what will be offered, and how it will be done are large questions that need and deserve special consideration. The process of determining the answer to these questions runs...

A congregation might choose to add an additional worship service for many different reasons: Some are from the needs of the congregation, and and others are driven by needs of individuals not yet within the congregational walls.

Three sample surveys that can be modified easily for your specific situation.

Any change is difficult for an organization, but the change in number of worship services seems to prompt some particular fears and feelings. They need to be articulated, recognized, affirmed, and responded to so the change can move forward effectively. The following are some common concerns and...

Adding an additional service will have a real impact on congregational life. Once the decision to add a service is made, the designing and implementation stages begin. Here are a list of questions to help guide your planning:

Some tips from congregations who have added a second service.

Our congregations have come a long way in welcoming visitors and new members but they still struggle to engage and keep them for the long term. Learn some tools that will be helpful on how to begin to see the membership path in a new light.

An accessible, attractive and efficient office space makes staff, volunteers and visitors happy and productive!

A sea-change is happening in American religion, and spiritual needs have only grown more intense. Take home tools to attract new people, successfully integrate them into community, and nourish their faith for the long haul.

Out of space? Good for you! Here are some things to think about and plan for.  Going to two services offers advantages beyond solving space problems.  It offers choices in service timing, for instance.  This might seem like a small matter at this point, but congregations who shrink from two services to one often find that their attendance shrinks by about 10% when they do.

Video, based on the book Taking Your Church to the Next Level: What Got You Here Won't Get You There by Gary L. McIntosh

(Atlanta, GA, 2000) Following a morning worship service, Alban Institute consultant Alice Mann was introduced to lead the day's learning experience on "Navigating Change in the Midsize Congregation." Mann, the author of "The In-Between Church," is an Episcopal priest who has been involved in...

Why Dying and Rebirth are Essential Components of Growth Congregations that aspire to be vital, strong and growing follow a constant cycle of birth, aging, death, renewal and rebirth. This session will look at several theories around the life cycles of congregations and will suggest the critical...